


Taken

by DenDragon14



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Emotional Hurt, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Injury Recovery, Kidnapping, Murder, Other, POV Alternating, Past Rape/Non-con, Past and Present, Rape Recovery, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 14:36:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19336522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DenDragon14/pseuds/DenDragon14
Summary: The OHSHC has been kidnapped by a group of ex-cons who are asking for a large ransom for their safe return. But things do not go as planned.





	1. Prologue: Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy!

**Prologue: Aftermath**  
  
_Now_

The police siren lights brightened the dark night sky to a dark, unsightly red. The color of blood. There was a large crowd gathering around the borders of the police tape, forcing everyone back to wonder what had happened. Despite the apprehension of the crowd and the bite of the cool autumn air, he felt numb from head to toe. He sat in the back of an ambulance, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.  
  
_Why do I feel nothing,_ he wondered, his eyes roving to his hands which held the blanket ends together. He could see his fingers, his hands, move, but he couldn't feel them moving. It was as though he was watching someone else move. Is it shock? His eyes wandered away from his hands to glance out the open doors of the ambulance. He watched dazedly as two body bags were placed into the back of a black hearse that read CORONERS on the side in big white letters and he felt his heart tighten as the doors slammed shut.  
  
_I couldn't save them. They were my friends…and I couldn't save them. I was…pathetic…I was useless_. He inhaled sharply as he felt tears trickle and snake down his cheeks. Irritated, he removed his glasses and brushed them away hurriedly, suddenly feeling embarrassed and vulnerable at his expression of emotions.  
  
Pushing himself to his feet, letting the blanket fall to the floor, he forced himself out of the ambulance and over to the hearse, despite the protests he heard from several people. The tinted windows denied him being able to see the body bags inside. Not caring if he would get in trouble, he opened the door and climbed in to join the corpses that were once his lively friends. There wasn't much room, but somehow he managed to squeeze himself in.

_Should I unzip the bags? I want to see them…but I don't know…how they died...they could be in really bad shape_. He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard the sound of water on plastic. He gritted his teeth, irritated that he was once again crying. Hold it together. You can't cry, not in front of all these strangers… "  
  
"Excuse me, sir," one of the hearse drivers said, "You can't be in this vehicle. Would you please get out?" For a moment, he stared at her blankly, as he processed her words. Although he understood what she wanted, he refused to get out of the vehicle. Two of his friends lay encased in a cold plastic bag because of the inability to act. Perhaps if he had followed Haruhi's suggestion, they would still be alive. If he couldn't save them, the least he could do was travel with them to the morgue; he owed them that much and more.  
  
"Sir," the woman stated again, more firmly this time, "Would you please get out of the vehicle?"  
  
"Would you please allow me some quiet with my friends," he growled, glaring at the woman menacingly. The woman took a step back and turned away from the vehicle. From his peripheral vision, he could see her head over towards the nearest police officers. A few moments later, he could hear several pairs of footsteps approaching him. A quick glance up showed the coroner woman returning with three officers in tow.  
  
"Son," the chubbiest of the officers said, "Would you please come out of there? I understand that these people were friends of yours, but you can't be riding around in the back. You should be over with the paramedics-"  
  
"I don't need any paramedics," he growled. "Just leave me alone. I just want to be alone!" If it was possible, he would have backed away from the officers, but in the cramped quarters of the hearse, it wasn't possible. He fought the strong hands that hauled him out of the back of the hearse and pinned him to the ground. Seeing the distraught in his eyes, one of the officers that were restraining him called over one of the nearby EMTs. As the EMT knelt down by his head Kyoya could see that he was preparing a syringe, most likely a sedative.  
  
"No, I need to see them," he growled, straining against the three officers that were struggling to pin him to the concrete. "I need to see them."  
  
"It's alright," he heard the officer and the EMT say simultaneously. "You just need to calm down." _It's not alright,_ Kyoya thought angrily as he thrashed underneath the officers firm hold. _Nothing's alright. They're dead because of me…I couldn't save them._ He felt the prick of a needle in his arm, which was soon followed by a wave of euphoria that relaxed all his muscles, making him go limp. A curtain of darkness was beginning to quickly take hold, pulling him into the blackness of unconsciousness.  
  
_He's dead because of me…I should…listened to Haruhi…I…useless._ It became increasingly hard to keep his eyes open. He found them drifting shut and when he opened them again, he was back in the ambulance, lying on a gurney, with his sister Fuyumi staring down at him, a concerned look on her face. _I…need…_ Again, his eyes drifted shut and they refused to open. Although he struggled against the effects of the sedative, he was ultimately succumbing to unconsciousness.  
  
"Tamaki…"


	2. Chapter One: The People in the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruhi happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

**Chapter One: The People in the Shadows**

**Then** _  
_

The entire time she was walking to the park, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following her, but every time she bothered to look over her shoulder, she didn't see anything. But the goosebumps that covered her arms said otherwise. Why did I agree to this, she wondered, as she crossed the street. I don't understand why Tamaki- senpai wants to be out so late at night. I remember him saying something about star gazing, but this is Japan. All the lights from the buildings would make it hard to see the stars. It would have been better to go to an observatory. Haruhi sighed and turned onto a pathway that led into the park. The path was dark except for the pools of light that the streetlights offered every few feet. And yet, even though it wasn't completely black, the utter lack of people and the cool breeze of the night air made her edgy.

  
_Maybe I should have taken that offer to ride here with the twins._ Suddenly, coming alone didn't seem like a good idea. She slowed to a stop as she came to the center of the park which was marked by a large fountain with small jets of water that shot up in small arcs. In daylight, it would have been peaceful, but at night, with only the sound of the fountain and the rustle of leaves as the wind blew made it eerily quiet. She couldn't help but shiver uncomfortably as she felt the hair at the back of her neck stand up on end.  
  
"This is the right place," she muttered to herself. "But where is everyone else?" Standing underneath the streetlight, Haruhi glanced around, hoping that she would spot another member of the club. She sighed and walked over to the fountain and took a seat on the ledge. Normally, Haruhi wasn't one to be impatient, but the fact that she was alone in the park at night, and it was approaching midnight, made her very uncomfortable. After nearly twenty minutes of waiting around, she was ready to give up and go home. From the darkness, she heard the thump of boots on pavement approaching, making Haruhi freeze like a deer in headlights. She squinted into the darkness, tensing as she saw someone coming towards her. As the person stepped under the light of one of the streetlamps, she could see he was dressed in a black overcoat that hung inches above the ground and black combat boots. Everything he wore was black, she realized, as though he was trying to blend into the shadows themselves.  
  
"Nice night for a walk, isn't it," the man asked, his voice rather gruff. Not wanting to appear rude, Haruhi gave a polite "yes" in reply. The man continued to approach before stopping several feet away from her, falling back into the shadows.  
  
"A little chilly though," he said, "Aren't you cold at all?" She could feel his eyes on her, making chills run up through her arms.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks," she mumbled, her gaze falling to the ground. In her peripheral vision, she could see the man move closer, so close that he and Haruhi nearly touched. It allowed her a better opportunity to look at the man, but she couldn't control how she felt the adrenaline in her body spike as her heart began to pick up pace. His coat was unbuttoned, and from where she stood, Haruhi could see a pink floppy ear poking out from an inside pocket. She felt her heart beat even faster as sweat began to pool in her palms. The floppy ear looked an awful lot like Honey's Usa-chan. And what would a grown man want with a stuffed animal?  
  
Feeling unnerved, she rose to her feet, intent on leaving and retracing her steps home. She turned to leave but found her way blocked by another man, dressed identically to the first. I didn't even hear him approach. Although this man seemed younger, he was much broader than the first and towered over Haruhi like a giant.  
  
"Um, excuse me," she muttered shyly, stepping around the beast of a man. As she passed by him, she noticed that he held a black book under his arm, one that seemed very similar to Kyoya's. She felt her heart freeze for a moment as she analyzed the black book in the man's arms. Her eyes drifted to the lower right corner, and even in the dim lighting, she could see the golden shimmer of the initials K.O. Kyoya Ootori. She tried to shake the dark thoughts that entered her head. Maybe that guy has the same initials as Kyoya. As she retraced her steps down the dark path, she could feel both of the men staring at her. She could hear her heart thrumming in her chest like a humming bird's wings as a wave of anxiety swept over her. She glanced over her shoulder hesitantly and sighed, feeling slightly relieved when she saw that they both were still standing by the fountain.  
  
She was almost out of the park when she was suddenly grabbed from the right by a third blacked cloaked man that materialized from the darkness. She struggled against the chokehold her attacker forced on her, her hands uselessly beating his arms. Her attempts to scream were muted as her aggressor tightened the hold around her neck, making it nearly impossible to breathe. A cloth was suddenly placed over her nose and mouth, forcing her to inhale the sickly sweet smell that came from it. Chloroform. She tried to hold her breath, all the while trying to free herself from the grip of her assailant. I can't…get free… Her world was beginning to spin before her as a wave of dizziness assaulted her.  
  
She couldn't help but take in a deep breath to try and forced nausea that suddenly appeared as the world continued to spin in a blurry mess. She felt her knees buckle, bringing both her and her attacker to the ground, and her arms go limp. What's happening… Her eyes were beginning to betray her and slide shut, trying their best to stay closed and her mind was beginning to grow foggy as the black abyss of unconsciousness took hold of her.  
  
"Is that all of them," she heard one of the growls in his low voice. Her eyes flickered upwards in hopes to get one last look at her attackers before she lost consciousness. In her peripheral vision, she could see three figures, all shrouded in black, standing off to the side, and huddled in a group.   
  
"Yeah, that's all of them. Let's get her back with the others so the boss can decide what we do next." Again, Haruhi's eyes closed, and this time, she wasn't able to open them. What does he mean… What do…Do they want with…the Host Club? The last thing she heard was the scuffle of boots on gravel and someone groaning as they lifted her over their shoulder, and then she fell into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Sorry about any typos or really bad errors!


	3. Chapter Two: Waking Up

**Chapter Two: Waking Up**

**_Then_ **

She woke up to someone splashing water in her face.

As her eyes cracked open, she could see one of the black cloaked men standing over her, his ugly scarred face smiling down at her.   
  
"Rise and shine, princess," the man chuckled. Haruhi tried to get onto her hands and knees, only to realize that her hands were bound tightly behind her back. With some difficulty, she rolled onto her knees and inched away from the man. Shaking the beads of water from her hair and face, Haruhi glanced around to take in her surroundings. The room she was in was small and entirely made out of concrete, the walls painted a sickly yellow color. _We must be in the slums of the city,_ she thought, her eyes lingering over the small holes in the walls and the large cracks that ran throughout the room. 

The rest of the Host Club was in the room as well, all of them bound identically to her.   
"Haruhi," Tamaki exclaimed, "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?" He inched his way over to her on his knees, his eyes analyzing her for injury.   
  
"I'm fine," she replied, "Are you guys alright?" There was a mutter of affirmatives from the rest of the members; hearing that made Haruhi feel slightly less anxious. But she was still concerned for herself and the others safety. What did these men want?  
  
"Why have you taken us," Tamaki exclaimed, directing his glare towards the heavily scarred man that guarded the doorway. Haruhi would have slapped a hand over his mouth if her hands had been free; they didn't need to provoke their kidnappers, and if Tamaki started blabbering away, they could have a problem on their hands.   
  
"Shut it, Blondie," the man growled, his eyes glaring irritatingly at Tamaki. Tamaki's shoulders slumped, looking like a puppy that had been kicked. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. This silence continued for a good half an hour before a new person entered the room. The man that walked in Haruhi recognized from last night as the broad-shouldered giant that towered over her. Now, in the daylight, she could see he had a buzzcut of dark hair and a face that hadn't been shaved in several days.  
  
"We can move 'em soon," he muttered.   
  
"Good, I'm getting tired of playing baby sitter," Scar-face grumbled, "It's not like they're going to be going anywhere anyway."   
  
"You don't know that. The big guy and that midget are skilled in martial arts, did you forget that?"   
  
"So," the scarred man growled, "They're tied up and even if they did get free, did you forget we have guns?"   
  
"So, that doesn't change the fact that if they were given the chance, they'd take you down in a heartbeat. Or what about Mommy over there," Buzzcut said, gesturing to Kyoya, "I'm sure his brain is a lot bigger than yours, you numbskull. He could come up with an escape plan, tell the others, and execute the plan without you knowing." Haruhi could see that the scarred man was beginning to get angry at his partner by the way his arms folded defensively over his chest, his eyes squinting, and his lips pulled into a thin line. Despite the fact that she was slightly unnerved at her agitated kidnappers, she couldn't get over what they had said just moments before. How did they know about Mori and Honey's martial arts skills or the fact that Kyoya is called Mommy?   
  
"Don't call me stupid; I'm sure you and I are more alike than you think. Intellectually, I think that you and I are on the same level." _Have they been watching us,_ Haruhi wondered, her body growing cold at the thought. _It seems possible. It explains the feeling that I had last night._ The unshaven man smirked and turned away from his comrade, his eyes gazing over each of the host members, falling on Kyoya last.  
  
"Why do they call you Mommy anyway," the unshaven man asked, kneeling down in front of Kyoya. "You don't exactly have very feminine features and you don't look like a cross-dresser or a transvestite." The man brushed his fingers gingerly along the length of Kyoya's jawline, causing him to jerk away from the man in disgust. The man gave a yellow-toothed smile which sent worry into Haruhi's heart.   
  
"How do you know all this about us," Tamaki demanded, drawing the attention away from his friend.   
  
"Our boss ain't stupid," one grumbled, "We did our research before we decided to kidnap a bunch of whiny, rich brats."   
  
"But my family isn't rich," Haruhi said, biting her tongue at her words. Just stop talking. You don't know what will make them mad. The two men exchanged a look with each other, both of them chuckling lightly.   
  
"We know that; as I said, we did our research. We need you for a different reason." Haruhi felt fear creep into her heart as dark thoughts entered her mind.  
  
  _What do they need me for?_


	4. Chapter Three: Facing Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jump to the present and change in perspective from Haruhi to Kyoya's again and see how he is dealing with everything.

**Chapter Three: Facing Reality**

_**Now** _

The buzz in his ears would not die down. Even though the door to the room was closed and the blinds were drawn, this buzzing in his ears was driving him insane. Since waking up from the sedative half an hour ago, he had had a killer headache that plagued him and refused to leave, even with the aid of ibuprofen. And he had his sister to deal with, who had not left his side since he had awoken in a disgruntled and confused state. The numb feeling hadn't subsided either. He still felt as though he was watching someone else move whenever he saw his hands move. It must still be shock, he thought, it seems the most logical.

He wanted to be able to feel his body again; the disconnected feeling he was having was unnerving and uncomfortable; he wasn't sure if he could handle it much longer. He briefly wondered if he had a concussion or if the sedative was still in the process of wearing off; Kyoya found that he was unable to keep his thoughts focused on one thing for no more than several minutes before it drifted somewhere else.

"Kyoya, I spoke to one of the nurses. A doctor is coming to examine you. Do you want me to stay with you?" his sister asked, placing a hand on his shoulder gently, drawing him out of the haziness of his mind. For a moment, he stared at her hand before his eyes travelled to her face. _I can't let her see the bruises_ , he thought, his hands clenching the blankets tightly, _I don't even want the doctor seeing…it's embarrassing…but I'm guessing they won't let me refuse the exam._   
  
"You can wait outside," he muttered, turning away from her. Not long after his sister deserted the room, a tall man with a slender build, dressed in a white lab coat, entered the room. He introduced himself as Dr. Kobayashi.   
  
"Alright, let's get started, shall we? I'm just going to preform a basic physical exam-" Kyoya couldn't help but flinch at the thought of a physical exam; the last thing he needed right now was a physical exam; he really didn't want any physical contact at the moment, especially since he couldn't even feel his own body.   
  
"Don't touch," he muttered, his heart suddenly beating much quicker, "I don't want you touching me."   
  
"Very well, Mr. Ootori," the doctor replied, "I won't touch, but tell me if you are in any pain."   
  
"I have a headache and I feel numb all over." The doctor nodded, his face thoughtful as he scribbles notes down on his clipboard.   
  
"That's normal, considering the events you've been through," he said. "You're still in shock." _When will it go away_ , he wanted to ask, but instead simply nodded, unsurprised that he guess was correct.   
  
"The numbness should go away soon enough," he continued. "As should the headache. Now, I know you aren't permitting a physical exam, but the police ask that I try and gather any visual evidence..." Dr. Kobayashi trailed off as he fished a disposable camera from his coat pocket. Kyoya slowly processed the doctor's words before feeling a cold hand clench around his heart.   
  
"No," he growled, swatting the camera out of the doctor's hands, "No pictures." The doctor's face grew sympathetic for a moment as he picked the camera up from where it had landed, amazingly, unbroken.   
  
"I understand, Mr. Ootori, but the police have spoken with me and they ask that I take any pictures that can contribute to evidence to help put your kidnappers back behind bars. I know that you may feel very uncomfortable about this, but believe when I say that this is for your benefit." Reluctantly, he agreed to have the pictures taken, all the while repeating to himself that it was for evidential purposes.   
  
_It's to put those bastards behind bars...It's for my own benefit._

* * *

Once the doctor had left, Kyoya announced to his sister that he was going to take a shower. There was no lock on the bathroom door, so he had to hope that she wouldn't walk in on him. As he made his way towards the shower, Kyoya found himself stopping and staring at himself in the mirror. For a moment, he didn't really recognize his face as his own; tired, dark circles hung under his eyes, his hair was a tousled mess and his glasses were cracked in one lens. _I look like I've aged five years._   
  
Turning away from the mirror, he shuffled over towards the shower, stripping as he went. The bruises were still there, not nearly as dark, but still an ugly purplish color against his pale skin. And due to the fact that he hadn't showered in a good week and a half, the dried blood on the backside of his body was still there. For safety purposes, hand railings lined the majority of the room, and the shower was designed so if need be, a shower chair could be wheeled in. After he had stripped out of his underwear and the hospital gown he'd been forced into, placed his glasses on a nearby shelf, he turned on the shower and let the warm water cascade over his body as he got lost in his thoughts.   
  
_This is my fault. I should have persuaded Tamaki to change his plans…we should have gone to an observatory; it would have been safer there. It was stupid to come alone…the one day I tell security that they can take the day off and something horrible happens…I didn't think that through very well… Damn it all!_ He pounded his fists against the tile, resting his forehead on the wall. _This is all my fault…I should have planned this better…I-I didn't even think about escaping…if it weren't for Haruhi, we could all be dead…_ He slid to his knees, turning around so he could rest his back against the wall.   
  
As Kyoya sat against the wall, trying to ignore the vivid color of purple against his flesh, he tried to quell the turmoil of emotions inside of him. Rarely was he ever confused, but now, he felt more confused than ever as he tried to determined what emotion he was feeling. The warm water eventually turned cold, and he was left shivering on the cold tile floor as the water continued to rain from its spout. He couldn't find the motivation to move. _I have to live with what happened; face reality. I have to live with the fact that my best friend is dead because I was too stupid to act…I let two of my friends die…I didn't do anything to save them…I could've done something..But…I didn't._   
  
He took a shaky breath as he tried to force the image of his smiling, blond best friend from his mind. It was a good image to hold onto, but he didn't want to see it right now. Damn it Tamaki…why you of all people? He could hear himself choke out a sob that turned steadily into a scream. It wasn't a scream of pain, but one of loss and despair. And even though he felt so horrible on the inside, hearing himself scream made him feel slightly better.   
  
He heard two pairs of footsteps rushing into the room at the sound of his agonized screams.   
"Kyoya," Fuyumi exclaimed, falling to her knees next to him as the nurse turned off the shower faucet, "Are you hurt?" _Yes_ , he cried mentally, _I'm hurt and I don't know how to make it stop hurting. I'm dying inside and I want it to be over with._ He couldn't force the words past his lips; all that came out was a guttural groan that sounded so melancholy. He could see by the movement of his sister's lips that she was probably trying to comfort him, but it was as though he had become deaf. _Is this a symptom of shock too,_ he wondered. He allowed Fuyumi to wrap a wool towel around his waist as the nurse helped him to his feet. The moment of deafness continued as they assisted in drying him off and helped him into a pair of sweat pants that Fuyumi had brought for him.   
  
_Am I blacking out,_ Kyoya wondered, _I feel so…detached… as though I'm floating._ Fuyumi helped him into the hospital bed. He could feel her eyes lingering on him, and he knew that she was staring at the bruises and scratches on his torso. _S_ _he probably wants to know what happened…It can wait…everything can wait...I don't want to face reality just yet._ A sudden wave of exhaustion came over him and for a moment he thought he'd been drugged again. But perhaps it was the shock or the after effects that a warm shower tends to have on people, but any energy he had was gone.   
  
_Just go to sleep…Face reality in the morning._


	5. Chapter Four: Seperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Host Club is separated into groups by their kidnappers. Haruhi is taken by herself to where the supposed leader of their kidnappers bid their time scheming.

**Chapter Four: Separation**

_**Then** _

All of them had been led out of the dingy room into an equally dingy hallway in single file. They were all lined up against the wall, which provided them with a brief view of the city through the windows across from them. Based on the view provided, Haruhi assumed that they were in some sort of abandoned apartment block, several stories high, perhaps in the slums of the city. Two men came around a bend in the hallway, their footsteps falling in perfect synchronization on the concrete floor, echoing off the walls. The taller of the two was dressed similar to the two men that had been keeping watch over them, while the other was wearing pinstripe suit pants and a navy dress shirt with a black tie. The very way this man carried himself, and the way the third man in black hovered around him like a guard gave Haruhi the impression that this was the man that was in charge of what was going on.   
  
For a moment, she relaxed, only to have her muscles seize up again in tension as she spotted the butt end of a gun poking out from the back waistband of his pants.   
  
"Unbind them," the man demanded, his voice low and smooth. His two cronies glared at him, then at each other, before turning back to their boss. "You sure that's a good idea," the heavily scarred man asked.   
  
"What if they attack us?" The boss glared at his partners in crime, clearly annoyed by their hesitation. He reached behind him, pulling the gun out from his waistband. Haruhi watched as he turned off the safety, cocked the gun and directed it at the closet Host member to him, which happened to be Tamaki.   
  
"Now untie them," he ordered, "I don't think they'll try and fight back, not unless they want to see their leader's brains splattered against the wall." Haruhi could see by the way Mori clenched his fists, and the twins and Kyoya's stiff posture that they really wanted to attack their kidnappers, but none of them wanted to risk the possibility of Tamaki's brains being blown out. One by one, they allowed their bonds to be cut, all the while, trying to maintain the urge to gang up on their attackers. Haruhi assumed that if given another opportunity that didn't have one of their member's lives at stake the Host Club would tackle their captors and fight their way to freedom. But, given the difficult position they were in, they would just have to concede with their captors and play by their rules for the time being.  
  
Now untied, and seeing that none of them were going to make any rash moves of trying to escape, the man lowered his gun, returning it to his waistband.  
"Good, now let's get moving." Before any of the body guards could begin to hassle them down the hall, Haruhi heard Honey gasp in surprise. Haruhi, along with the others, turned at the sound and could see that Honey was stepping forward towards the heavily scarred guard, a finger pointed at him in accusation.   
  
"Give back Usa-chan," Honey demanded, seeming to have noticed a pink ear poking out from the man's coat. The man glared at him for a moment, a slow, sadistic smile creeping onto his face. Grabbing the bunny from his coat, the man waved the floppy eared stuff animal in front of Honey, laughing at the way Honey pouted, reaching for the stuff animal.   
  
"You want the bunny," he chuckled, moving it out of Honey's reach. The man pulled a lighter from his coat pocket, and before anyone could do anything, he lit it and took the small flame to the stuff bunny. It was slow to burn, but eventually the pink color of the fabric began to turn a brown blackened color as the flames engulfed the plush toy. Honey's eyes grew to the size of saucers, filling with tears. He bit his lip, a low moan escaping as he tried to keep from sobbing. A look of sorrow mixed with anger appeared on Honey's face. But the sorrow in his eyes was completely replaced by fury as he watched the man laugh at Usa-chan's demise. He growled and kicked the man in the shin.   
  
"Scarecrow," the scarred man snapped, addressing Mori, "Keep your little runt under control or I'll rip out his tongue!" If looks could kill, the man would have dropped dead by the way Mori was glaring at him, but nonetheless, Mori placed a hand firmly on Honey's shoulder in attempt to be both restraining and reassuring.   
  
"Satsuki," the suited man growled, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Was that really necessary?" "Satsuki", the heavily scarred man, chuckled as he threw the burning mass that once was Usa-chan to the ground, stomping the flames out under his foot.  
  
"Sorry, boss," he laughed, his lips turning up into a smirk, "Couldn't help it." The man in the pinstriped suit sighed, irritated at his partner in crime.  
  
"Let's get moving, shall we," the suited man grumbled, "I have other things that need to be done." With the suited man and his bodyguard at the front, and his other two henchmen at the rear, Haruhi and the others were led down the hall and around the corner, which revealed another long hallway, lined with doors that led to empty, abandoned apartments. They stopped at one the doors. The man in the suit gestured loosely with one of his hands, signalling to one henchmen. Between the three of his henchmen, everyone, minus Haruhi herself, was grabbed roughly by the bicep and shoved towards an empty apartment entrance. The twins and Tamaki were thrown into one room and Mori, Honey and Kyoya were placed in one several units over. Both were secured with a strong looking padlock and one henchman stood in front of each door. Now, without her friends for any small amount of comfort, Haruhi could begin to feel fear creep into her chest, clenching her heart. From behind one door, she could hear Tamaki, along with twins, yelling something, but their voices were too muffled to truly understand what he was trying to get across. Why are they separating us? She wondered, swallowing past the painful lump in her throat. Do they have something planned for us?  
  
"What about the girl," the unshaved man asked, his hand wrapping around Haruhi's upper arm tightly. The man in the pinstripe suit came to a stop at one of the doors and opened it up, gesturing Haruhi and his one remaining lackey inside.   
  
"The girl comes with us."


	6. Chapter Five: Waiting For Results

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruhi waits in the hospital to see what state her friends are in.

**Chapter Five: Waiting for Results**  
 __ **  
Now**   
  
Haruhi cradled the cup of coffee close to her chest, trying to absorb the little warmth it gave off. For over an hour now, she had been sitting and waiting in the waiting area of the emergency room, hoping soon to hear of her friends' condition. Upon arrival, Mori had been taken into surgery, while Kyoya and Honey both disappeared to a different part of the hospital. Then there was Karou, who was on the verge of hysteria; after they had sedated him, she saw them wheeling him in a wheelchair heading towards the elevator.  
  
It was just so hard to keep track of what was going on around her. Her mind was in a tornado of brief, vague thoughts that came and went as they swirled about viciously inside her head. Her dad was somewhere close by, but he had more than likely returned to the cafeteria to find something to eat; he hadn't eaten in days since she had disappeared apparently; she couldn't blame him.   
  
"Haruhi," a voice asked quietly, dragging her away from the depths of her mind. She blinked a few times, as though coming from out of a sleep, and glanced up at the person that stood before her. For a moment, the name of the woman before her escaped her mind, but recognized the familiar features of the face were similar to Kyoya's.   
  
"Hello, Fuyumi." Fuyumi wrapped her arms around Haruhi, hugging her close.   
  
"Are you alright," she asked, still clinging tightly. Haruhi gave a nod, despite the fact that her heart was aching with sadness, and she was still wired on an adrenaline rush that had helped save her own life.  
  
"How's Kyoya," she asked. Fuyumi took a seat beside her and propped her head up with her elbow as she rested it on the armrest. Haruhi couldn't help but notice the slight furrow of her brows, and how Fuyumi seemed to be struggling to hold back tears.   
  
"I've never seen him like this before," she muttered quietly, "Not even when we were younger. He just seems…so…out of it."   
  
"I don't blame him," Haurhi muttered into her coffee, "I'm still trying to process everything; it all seemed to happen so fast." She couldn't help but think of Tamaki, and how he had given his life in exchange for hers. It was the most noble, heroic thing that had ever been done for her, and she deeply wished that she could take it back. He hadn't deserved to die in such a horrible way; he didn't deserve to die at all. She couldn't help but feel guilty, as though she had committed the act of murder against him herself.   
  
"Haruhi, you're crying. Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?" Haruhi shook her head silently, pursing her lips and biting her tongue to hold in the sob that she desperately wanted to let out. She wiped the tears away with one hand, quickly recomposing herself before turning back to Fuyumi, who seemed to be growing more concerned.  
  
"I just hate all this waiting," she mumbled, a weak excuse at how she really felt. Fuyumi nodded in agreement and began on a small rant about how the public healthcare needed to be improved and be more efficient towards treating patients. It was somewhat ironic to hear since the Ootori family were the owners of a huge medical conglomerate. Eventually, a comfortable silence settled between the two, both of them having nothing much further to discuss. Haruhi took to staring around the waiting area, glancing at all the faces that seemed deep in thought and worry about the loved ones they waited for.   
  
The sight of a woman she briefly recognized as Karou's and Hikaru's mother made her body shiver as though she had been doused in ice water. She could tell from the slump in the woman's shoulders and the dark circles under her eyes that she was very concerned and had not gotten any sleep recently. Haruhi could see that her makeup was smeared around red rimmed eyes, as though she had only just finished crying. Haruhi had the urge to go and comfort her, but she just didn't have any energy left. Haruhi didn't know how Hikaru had died, but when she saw the state that Karou was in, she didn't exactly want to know. It was probably just as horrible as Tamaki's death had been, if not worse; Haruhi could only imagine how their mother felt.   
  
Haruhi wasn't aware that she had fallen asleep until someone was shaking her awake. She jumped into alertness, feeling her heart leap in her chest, nearly spilling the cold cup of coffee in her hands. Her dad stood before her, his eyes soft with compassion.   
"Your friend Mori is out of surgery. The doctor's have him in the recovery room at the moment. Did you want to see him?" When Haruhi drifted over to the edge of Mori's bed, she could tell that he was just beginning to wake up from the effects of antisethetic they had given him. With drowsy eyes he stared at her a moment, before smiling slightly. He lifted his hand out towards her. Haruhi placed her hand in his, instantly dwarfing her in size. His fingers wrapped around hers, tight and secure, almost as though she were an anchor for him.   
  
"The doctor said you were going to be okay. He said that your knee would heal so it's almost 100%; he said you might have a slight limp, but otherwise you'll be okay." Mori gave her thumbs up in return. His eyes drifted shut for a moment before opening slowly again. Haruhi could see that he was struggling to stay awake, and although she was glad to be by her friend, she could see that he needed rest. She patted his hand gently with her free hand before letting go.  
  
"I'll let you get some rest," Haruhi said, her voice just above a whisper, "I'll stop by later. If you want, I can check on Honey-senapai and the others if you want." Mori gave another thumb up, accompanied by a weak smile. Haruhi returned back to the waiting room, collapsing into the nearest chair. She placed her head in her hand and sighed heavily. She had tracked down Honey-senpai, who was staying on the same ward as Kyoya, but he had been sound asleep when she had poked her head into the room; she didn't have the heart to disturb him. Along her way, she had stopped by Kyoya's room as well, but she could see that he was asleep as well. Karou had been harder to track down, but she eventually learned that he was on the psychiatric ward, although she wasn't entirely sure why.   
  
"I hate all this waiting," she muttered to herself, "It's like they intend to torture people about the state of their friend or family member."  
  
"That is entirely true," her father said, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "I think that doctors are all too caught up in drama. I mean, have you looked at how many drama shows or soap-operas are centered around some sort of medical facility." That managed a small smile from Haruhi, but it did next to nothing to lessen the amount of pressure that she felt on her chest. She still wondered how she managed to get out of such a dangerous situation, practically unscathed while her friends were recovering from injuries that sat on different levels ranging from physical to psychological. Perhaps it had been luck, but it was probably her fault in the first place; she had gone against her captors, which had resulted in her friends' punishment.   
  
"Why don't we go home for the night," her dad suggested, placing a warm, reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You look exhausted and sleeping in a waiting room at a hospital isn't the most pleasant place." Haruhi nodded numbly in agreement, slowly getting to her feet to follow her father to the main doors. Although she was exhausted to a point where she should be non functional, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. And if she did, she knew that her dreams would be twisted into nightmares.


	7. Chapter Six: Alone With the Enemy

**Chapter Six: Alone With the Enemy**

_**Then** _

The further she was led down the hall, away from her friends, the faster her heart beat, the sweatier her palms became. She began to feel nauseous as they came to the end of the hall and to a door that entered onto a flight of stairs. They traveled up two flights of stairs to an identical looking floor that was in equal disarray as the other. The room was scaracely furnished. A old, torn armchair sat near the middle of the room, some rickety old chairs sitting near it, a dusty old loveseat that placed across from them. Against the wall, a beat up, stained coffee table sat, held up an old television that belonged back in the 70's. She was ushered to the middle of the room.   
  
She awkwardly stood in the room as she watch the men take seats until only her and the supposed boss were standing.   
"I may be a bad man, Haruhi, but I find the thought of hurting a woman revolting." He turned to face her, and gestured to a nearby armchair before sinking into a spot on the loveseat across from it. "So you have nothing to fear for at the time being." Hesitantly, Haruhi seated herself in the armchair.   
  
"However, I do have a purpose for you Haruhi," the boss continued, pausing as he drew a cigarette from inside his breast pocket. After lighting it, he glanced at her, his eyes chilling her to the bone. "You're leverage for the others." _Leverage_ , she wondered, _what does he mean by that? How am I leverage for the others?_   
  
"What do you mean," she asked, her voice as soft as a mouse's footsteps. There was a moment of silence as he took a long drag on his cigarette.  
  
"Think of it like this," he began, blowing out a smoke ring, "Your friends try something stupid, like trying to escape or injure one of my men, you suffer because of their actions. Likewise, if you do something stupid, your friends suffer; all of them. Is that understood?" Haruhi gave a forced nod as she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. He wants this to be a win-win situation for him, she thought, if we do nothing, it makes it easier for him. But if he just wants money, than the others' families should be able to pay it…They are rich after all. But he probably doesn't want the cops involved…Let's hope that none of the guys' families contact them. That could mean more trouble for us. "Good," he said, snuffing out his cigarette on arm of the loveseat, already riddled with holes.   
  
"Now, if you'll come with me, I'll show you your room." He pushed himself out of the chair and headed towards a door to a connecting room. He pulled open the door and gestured Haruhi inside. Hesitantly, Haruhi went into the room, cringing slightly at the appearance of the floors, which were stained different shades of red, brown and yellow; she was afraid to ask how those stains had come to be there. The room was bare except for a thin mattress that rested on the floor and a dented metal bucket that sat in the far corner of the room.   
  
"I'm sorry that it's not the greatest. But what can you expect from an abandoned building?" He ushered her into the room, his touch surprisingly gentle. Haruhi drifted to the middle of the small room and turned on her heel, watching as the door swung shut. She heard the lock click into place and the retreating footsteps of her captor. Now what?   
  


* * *

"I can't take this," Hikaru growled, leaning his head back against the wall. "We should do something-"   
  
"No, we shouldn't Hikaru," Karou muttered. He turned to his twin, a stern expression on his face. "You don't know what these men want. We shouldn't try to aggravate them."  
  
"Sitting idly is not going to help us, Karou," Hikaru growled, he threw his arms out, gesturing to the small, abandoned room. "Look around you; we are stuck here until they let us out or until you decide you want to see if you can survive an eight story drop onto concrete!" Karou turned to Hikaru, his lips a thin line. He placed his hands on his twin in an attempt to be comforting.   
  
"Calm down, Hikaru. I'm sure we'll get out of this just fine." This was not the time to lose any sense of rationality; everyone had to remain calm in a situation like this. One person in the wrong state of mind could cause havoc for everyone.   
  
"Karou is right," Tamaki exclaimed, stopping mid pace, "I'm sure that someone will find us soon enough. Our families are probably out searching for us as I speak." The twins glanced at each other, both of them looking rather skeptical.   
  
"And what if, by chance, no one is looking for us, boss," Karou asked.  
  
Tamaki scowled and folded his arms defensively over his chest. "It's called being positive. Were you not trying to do the same thing just a moment ago? And besides, we are important enough to have someone looking for us, right?" 

* * *

Haruhi's thoughts drifted towards her father, who she was worried about. Despite the situation that she and her friends were in, she was more worried about him. Even though he was her father, Haruhi knew that he liked having her support. Just the thought of never being able to see him again nearly broke her heart. She hated to think of what would happen to him if she never returned home.   
  
She clenched her fists, suddenly feeling more determined. She had to get herself and the others out of here. God knows how long they actually planned on keeping her and the others around; if they had demanded a ransom, and that ransom was met, would they go free? Or would they kill Haruhi and her friends?   
  
Her eyes wandered to the locked door. On the other side, she could hear muffled conversation, and earlier she had tried listening in, but could barely make out anything since the door seemed too thick. On that side of the door, some, if not all, of those men had keys that opened probably every door. If she could get a hold of them somehow, there could be the slightest chance that she and the others could escape.   
  
But would the risk be necessary?


	8. Chapter Seven: Missing Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter from Karou's perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: this chapter does contain a reference to self-harm. If this is a trigger for you, please do no read!

**Chapter Seven: Missing Half**   
  
_**Now** _

The following morning when he woke up, he tried to convince himself that everything that had happened in that week was just a horrible nightmare. But then, as he got up to go to the bathroom and caught a glance of himself in the mirror, he was forced to accept that he was in reality, and that what had happened had been real. He had never been much of a narcissistic person, at least, not by his standards, but these days, he found it so hard to look away from a mirror. Just yesterday, there had been another living being on the earth that looked exactly like him, that shared the same DNA as him, breathed the same air as him. And now he was gone in the blink of an eye, soon to be buried beneath the dirt.

He clenched his hands into fists as he fought back tears. He really didn't want to hate his own brother now that he was gone, but he hated how his brother had sacrificed himself. In a sense, it was selfish, but it was also selfless at the same time. Why do I have to look like him, he thought, his eyes squinting as his thoughts turned angry. _Why did I have to have a copy of myself? I can't even stand looking at myself…it's exactly like looking at him._ He couldn't understand why this hurt so much, as though half of him had just been ripped away. It shouldn't hurt this much, should it?  
  
Stop… 

"Stop," he screamed, bracing his hands on the edge of the sink. "Stop looking at me!" He directed his eyes downward, to stare at the drain. _This is stupid…I'm so stupid…I must be losing it, I'm talking to my reflection… It's just a reflection_ , he reminded himself,  as his eyes slowly wandered back to the mirror. _It's you and it's not him…He's gone…and he's not coming back.._

He could feel his shoulders shaking, his eyes moist and overflowing with tears. _He's gone._ He gasped as he felt a wave of sorrow wash him away. He could see, in the mirror, the trail his tears made as they wound their way down his face, and he could see the red rims beginning to form around his eyes.   
  
"Why did you do it? Of all the times to be selfless…" his voice trailed off as he locked eyes with his reflection. His eyes were teary eyed, sunken from a lack of sleep. But behind the tears, he could see the deeper sorrow, a sorrow so deep it ate away at his soul. Somehow, he had a feeling that this would not go away anytime soon, if ever. 

"Why did you have to choose me over you?" he demanded to his reflection. "Why did you have to save me?" When the reflection didn't answer back, he grew increasingly frustrated by the second. "I hate you," he yelled, blindly throwing a fist at the mirror. The mirror shattered, small fragments of the glass falling and skittering into the sink, while others embedded themselves in his hand. He drew his fist back, clutching it close to his chest. The ache in his chest radiated pain as though he had been burned, it hurt so much. Turning his attention away from his injured hand, he looked at the mess he had caused. A large mirror fragment had fallen into the sink. It was a perfect size and length of a pocket knife. _He's gone…_ With his uninjured hand, he shakily picked up the mirror shard, turning it around in his palm delicately, fascinated by the way it shimmered in the light.  
  
"I want to be with you, Hikaru," he whispered. _I can join him…so we can be together._


	9. Chapter Eight: Decisions

**Chapter Eight: Decisions**  
 ****  
 _Then_   
  
Haruhi wasn't even aware that she had fallen asleep until she woke up. As the memory of the recent events came back to her, she sighed, disheartened that all of this hadn't been a dream. She sat up slowly, her joints popping as she stretched her cramped muscles. There was very little light in the room; the view she had out her window wasn't the greatest since she was just staring at a bunch of vacant balconies. She assumed that it was close to night, or at least she hoped that it was close to night. The passing of time was beginning to get a bit foggy. It had been night when she was taken, but day when she was dragged to this room. So Haruhi assumed that it had been at least one day, moving onto two if the sun was indeed setting.   
  
Turning her view away from the window, her gaze went directly to the middle of the room where a plate of food sat, waiting for her. How long it had been sitting there, she wasn't sure. But the mere thought that one of those men had been quiet enough to not disturb her sleep bothered her; they could have done something to her, and it was possible that she wouldn't know. The food on the plate was very simple- rice and a slice of bread, which looked rather stale. A glass of water sat next to it. Haruhi heard her stomach rumble and felt her mouth water at the mere sight of the pathetic meal. It was enticing to say the least, but a nagging thought at the back of her head told her not to eat it; it could be laced with something for all she knew. With this horrible situation she was dealt with, she didn't want to make it worse for herself by being drugged or poisoned, even if she was sure that her captors intended on keeping her alive. But at the same time, she didn't know how long she'd be in this prison; she didn't want to starve.   
  
For what had to be at least an hour or so, Haruhi ignored the food as best she could. Pacing the room, humming a tune, stretching, mental counting-anything to keep her mind off of the food and the fact that her belly was making itself louder and louder, waiting for the owner to give in. The growling quickly became a gnawing pain, as though her stomach was trying to digest itself. She eyed the food, her mouth filling with saliva at the sight of it. What was the possibility that the food was fine? And what was the possibility that is was drugged, or worse, poisoned? Picking up the plate, she sniffed the food before hesitantly taking a handful and placing it in her mouth. It didn't smell strange and tasted just fine. But she was aware that there were some drugs and poisons out there that were colorless, odorless and tasteless.   
  
"I guess I'll just have to wait and see and hope it's not poisoned." As the sky began to darken, Haruhi waited to see if there were any side effects of the food that she had been given. But nothing seemed to happen; she was still alert and awake and felt fine. But once the sky had disappeared below the horizon, she was left in darkness, even the moon was not out tonight. 

* * *

Time began to blur together eventually. At first, she could keep track of the days. Two days, three days. But then she began to lose track after she lost count of how many sunsets and sunrises she had seen. It didn't help that there was nothing to keep her mind active. Pacing the room could only help so much until she began to get lost in the sea of thoughts. Whether Tamaki and the others were okay, and if they were being fed too. Or whether her father and the resto of the club's parents were worried that they were missing. Or if there were any more plans on what these men wanted to do with her and the others.   
  
And sleep seemed to come too easily to her and she wasn't sure if it was because of the lack of protein in the food she was given, or the lack of mental activity there was or if it was from pure boredom. Every now and then, she could hear her captors moving and talking in the other room, but normally they said very little to one another. And twice a day one of the henchmen would intrude on her; once to give her food and once to empty the bucket that she had been forced to use as a toilet. It was nice to think that these men seemed considerate of her needs; she hoped her friends were getting a similar treatment. She heard something crash against the wall outside her cell room. She didn't need to press her ear against the door to hear the argument that was going on in there.   
  
"What is wrong with these people? Who has to inform parents twice that their children are missing?" There was the shatter of glass followed by an angry grunt. "I tell them not to go to the police, and that's the first thing they do."  
  
"What do you want us to do? If the police find us-"  
  
"I'm not going back to jail!" The voices clambered over one another to be heard by the boss, no doubt echoing off the walls of the very empty room. Everything went silent for a fraction of a moment as she heard the slap of skin on skin contact.   
  
"Everyone, shut up! You don't think that I know the police are probably hunting us down by now. I refuse to go back to jail; I'd be there until I die."   
  
"Then what do we do with the brats? We can't let them go. They can describe us to the cops."   
  
"Then do what you want with them…. Then dispose of them. I was hoping to get the money from their families. But I'd prefer to be a free man than a rich man." Haruhi gulped, her heart sinking into her stomach at the man's words. She scooted away from the door, back to the flimsy mattress. Her thoughts raced around her; there were two choices that she could make. Neither of them was good. She could sit here and do nothing, while she allowed these men to do whatever they wanted to her and her friends. Or she could fight back, perhaps try and wrestle with one of them for the keys to her friends' cells. If she could free them, they could make a run for it and call for help. If she sat here and took no action, then all of the Host Club would perish. She pressed her palms against her temples, shutting her eyes.   
  
"This shouldn't be hard," she muttered under her breath, "There are only two options." She knew she was trying to psych herself out because either choice would have bad consequences. And, she wasn't about to allow her and her friends to be sitting ducks while these creeps finished them off an disposed of their corpses. She had to get out of this room. And grab the keys to her friends' prisons.   
  
ASAP.


	10. Chapter Nine: Not Your Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter from Mori's perspective.

**Chapter Nine: Not Your Fault**   
  
_Now_

Mori stared at his freshly bandaged knee, frowning at it in discontent. For the next little while, the doctors had insisted he keep off his feet, but if he must move around on foot, then he had to use crutches. Fortunately, however, Mori didn't have to decide if he was going to attempt getting out of bed or not since Haruhi and Mitsukuni had arrived at his bedside to keep him company. Out of everyone, they were the only two that were left uninjured, at least physically. From what he remembered, although by then, he had been a morphine-induced haze, the information he had overheard while he was in the emergency room was that Tamaki and Hikaru were DOA, Karou was in hysterics and Kyoya was in some type of trauma-induced stupor, among other things.   
  
The memories of their time in that small, empty room were blurry and dull, but he clearly remembered the men barging into the room. He hadn't felt such anger as he had when those men tried to take advantage of Mitsukuni, probably because of his size. And although he knew that Honey could handle himself, he still felt protective towards him. It had cost him a bullet to the kneecap, but he thought it was worth it at the time; he still did. If only he had been looking out for Kyoya the way he had been looking out for Mitsukuni.   
  
The memories all blurred together, but one of the brighter ones was of Kyoya being dragged out of the room as Mori and Mitsukuni were locked back in. After that, he only remembered the ache in his knee and how it left him unable to walk without hobbling like an elderly man. And Haruhi, who had come to their rescue, although he didn't know if that had been in a matter of minutes or hours after being shot. Mitsukuni had crawled up onto his bed upon arrival, sitting at the foot, careful to avoid his injured knee and the IV that ran from his left hand. Knowing his cousin, he had been awfully quiet, fidgeting quietly with his hands. Haruhi had been fairly quiet as well, but one glance at her and Mori could see that she had fallen asleep in the chair she was sitting in. He didn't blame her, he was exhausted himself, but he was sure that the painkillers they were giving him were mostly the cause of his tiredness.   
  
He nudged Mitsukuni with his foot, who looked up from his fidgeting hands.   
  
"Takashi." The name sounded more like a question, but he understood that Mitsukuni was asking what the matter was.   
  
"Kyoya."  
  
"What about Kyoya?"   
  
"I want to see him."   
  
"I talked to his sister. She said he didn't want any visitors right now." Mori could see tears starting to fill in his friend's eyes. "Or maybe he doesn't like us anymore after what happened. Do you think he hates us now, Takashi?" Mori shook his head. He didn't believe that Kyoya could hate them so easily. Hate was a strong term of dislike, and he hoped that his opinion was right; he didn't want Kyoya to hate them. Of all the negative feelings that Mori disliked, guilt and shame were on the top of his list.

* * *

 

Since Kyoya hadn't wanted visitors, Mori had asked Mitsukuni to accompany him down to the psychiatric ward to see Karou. And although he had insisted on using crutches to hobble about, the nurse, as well as Mitsukuni persisted that he use a wheelchair. So with Honey carefully perched on his lap, Mori maneuvered them around the hospital to the elevators and the correct floor. The nurse at the desk seemed reluctant to let them in, but Honey's puppy dog eyes gave the extra little push to let them through. The room they were directed towards was a cold, pale blue color and bare of any furniture except for a bed, a small bedside table and a chair that sat positioned against the far wall. The lights were off, but the blinds on the window were open, which allowed daylight to filter in. The bed sat against the wall across from the door so it was easy to see the patient. Karou laid in the bed, seemingly unaware that Mori and Honey had entered the room.   
  
As he wheeled the wheelchair over to the bedside, he could now see that Karou was clearly restrained to the bed, large padded white straps wrapped around his wrists and attached to the bed frame. His wrists were covered with gauze and bandages.  
  
"Karou," he said, trying to get the boy's attention. But Karou's eyes were focused on the ceiling, glazed over.   
  
"What happened to your arms, Karou," Honey asked, his eyes focused on bandages that were wrapped around Karou's wrists. Despite being around the same age as the rest of the host club, Mitsukuni had always had an innocence to him that warmed Mori's heart. He didn't want to explain the situation that Karou was in right now. When Karou didn't answer, Mitsukuni asked another question, hoping it would get some response from him.   
  
"Are you okay, Karou?" Again, it was an innocent question, but it was definitely not the question to ask since it was obvious to see that Karou was obviously not okay. But this question, unlike the first, got a response from Karou.   
  
"I can't-" he broke off, biting his lip. Tears filled Karou's eyes and began to slowly leak and drip down his cheeks. With the way he was staring at Mori, he felt as though his friend was staring into his very soul. Mori was quiet by nature, he didn't have much to say unless it was necessary or very important. Karou and Hikaru had always seemed to be a couple of chatter boxes, and although Karou seemed better at managing his filter between brain and mouth, Mori had never seen him so quiet. But words weren't necessary, he could see how much pain Karou was in; his eyes said it all. The pain went deep. Mori placed his hand on Karou's arm, above the bandages wrapped around his wrist.   
  
"I'm sorry," he said. He wasn't sure what else he could say.   
  
"It wasn't your fault," Karou said, quiet, his face becoming stoic. "It was mine."


	11. Chapter Ten: Escape

**Chapter Ten: Escape**  
  
_Then_

She wasn't a fighter, and by her body structure, no one would label her as such, but that didn't mean she didn't know any self-defense moves. When she was younger, her father had personally taught her some self-defense techniques after Haruhi had told him about an incident that had occurred on her way home from her early years in secondary school. And although it had been several years since these drills, she hoped that she still had the muscle memory. The plan she had was fairly simple, and luckily enough she was able to call attention to herself when only one of the goons had been in the room; she wasn't sure where the others had disappeared too. But that wasn't the current worry at hand.   
  
The man came lumbering inside, looking annoyed, and Haruhi launched herself at the man. As she had predicted, he wrapped her into a bear hug. She struggled in his grasp, wriggling around until she had her back to him. She stomped onto the man's foot as hard as possible before kicking back with her foot, hitting him in what felt like the inner thigh. For a moment, the hold he had on her loosened enough for Haruhi to slip free and turn to face her attacker. He lunged towards her and Haruhi, on instinct, took a step back, flinching as she did so. With her right hand she thrust the heel of her palm out, while she flattened her other hand so all her fingers were pressed close together. First she hit with her right, then her left. She was hoping that one or the other would hit the throat or the nose.  
  
Luckily enough, the heavens seemed to be on her side, and both strikes hit there mark, off the bullseye, but they still made contact. The man groaned, taking a step back to steady himself as one hand went to his throat and the other his nose, which had started to leak a small trail of blood. With the brute distracted, Haruhi took her chance and snatched the keys as quickly as possible from his belt, darting around the brute as he lunged for her again, one hand still clutched loosely to his nose And as fast as her feet could carry her, she raced down the hall, bursting through the door that led to the staircase. She couldn't remember how many floors she had gone up when they had separated her from the others. She thought it was three, but maybe it was four….but her gut told her three.

* * *

After running down the three flights of stairs, she poked her head into the hall and, despite knowing it would probably call attention to her location, called out for her friends. She waited a moment, listening intently before hearing a muffled chorus of her name being called out.   
Upon opening the door, the three of them looked like they all wanted to hug her out of appreciation, but she just pushed them all out the door and told them to get to the ground floor. She moved down the hall to the only other door with a lock on it. Her hands fumbled with the key ring as she tried to open up the lock to free Mori, Honey and Kyoya. It took her two tries, but she found the correct key and swung the door open.  
  
Honey took one look at her and hurried to her and hugged her tight, sniffling back tears. With his face pressed into her shirt, it was hard to understand what he was saying, but one look around the room and Haruhi understood his distress. Mori was on the ground, clutching onto his knee which was still leaking fresh blood, and looked to be half conscious. There was no sign of Kyoya in the room. She pulled Honey off of her and pushed him out of the room and towards the others, who were making their way down the hall as fast as possible; the twins were the farthest ahead while Tamaki had chosen to hang back slightly, waiting for her. Haruhi glanced back towards Mori; she couldn't just leave him; with Kyoya missing, Haruhi wanted the rest of them to try and stay together; they'd be stronger together as a group against their captors.   
  
Mori tried to push her away as she offered a hand to lift him to his feet. But with him more focused on staunching the blood flowing from his leg, Haruhi was able to easily—perhaps not so easily—assist Mori to his feet. With Mori's height, he would have slowed her down on a normal day, but given that his knee was injured and he couldn't put weight on it, he slowed her even more. The two of them limped out of the room together while everyone made their way down the hall at different paces. The twins were the first to reach the staircase on the far side of the building, and disappeared quickly.   
  
Honey stopped at the end of the hall to see where the others were while Tamaki was still the closest to her and Mori, hovering around anxiously like a humming bird, unsure if he should offer to help or not. They were nearly half way down the hall when Haruhi caught onto the sound of feet pounding on concrete. She glanced over her shoulder and felt her eyes go wide in surprise and fear. The man she had swiped the keys from was coming towards them like a speeding freight train. His nose was still bleeding, and from the looks of his unsteady gate, Haruhi had managed to do some damage. He all but tackled Haruhi and Mori from behind, sending them both sprawling to the ground. She was barely able to catch herself, but poor Mori crumpled to the ground like a rag doll. Haruhi threw the keys as far away as possible from her attacker; surely there was a high possibility they might encounter more locked doors. They landed not far from Tamaki, who had turned back to see what was the commotion. He hurried past Haruhi and grabbed the man by the shoulder and by the back of his neck and pulled him away from Haruhi, pushing him as far away as possible. Haruhi was just pulling herself to her feet and just as she turned to help Mori back onto his feet, she found Tamaki kneeling next to her. He placed the keys into her hands, his hand resting in hers for the slightest of moments.  
  
"Get the others out," he whispered. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, but she could see the sincerity in her friend's eyes. She watched, semi-shocked, as Tamaki jumped in to take on this brute who had a good hundred pound advantage on him. "Go, Haruhi!" Tamaki yelled. Haruhi didn't want to leave; she wanted to stay and help, but she wasn't sure how. But she had never heard Tamaki sound so serious before. Reluctant to leave Tamaki, Haruhi slowly helped Mori to his feet and continued to help him down the hall, all the while she could hear the sounds of a struggle going on behind her. She wanted to look, but right now, she was focusing on getting Mori to the stairs with the others. Tamaki asked her to get them out; she'd try her best to see it through.   
  
The hall seemed to be elongated to a never-ending length, but eventually, the two of them reached the door. Honey was waiting for them, anxiously hiding in the corner of the stairwell; the twins had disappeared, but that something to worry about later. She lowered Mori down to the ground next to Honey and told him to wait for her. "I'm going back for Tamaki," she said, racing back out into the hall. Most of the windows in the buildings lacked glass altogether or had missing panes, and Haruhi stood frozen to the spot momentarily as she saw Tamaki and his aggressor edge closer and closer to an open window. From where they were in this building, a fall from the height they were at would do more than break bones, it would kill. The man that she had stolen the keys from seemed to take this to thought as he seemed to be intentionally backing towards the wall of windows. Tamaki clung onto the man's back, trying to cut off his air supply, but the man was simply too large and his neck too thick for scrawny Tamaki to do any true damage.   
  
As though he was taking a small child off his shoulder's the man easily loosed himself from Tamaki's grip and swung him around so they stood face to face. They grappled for an advantage before the brute suddenly flipped them over the window ledge. Haruhi felt her heart jump into her throat in fright. But as she came closer, she could see someone hanging onto the ledge, desperately trying to pull themselves up. Tamaki's head poked up, and Haruhi could see that he was straining to pull himself up. Haruhi reached over to help pull him back in, and she could see what the problem was. The giant of a man was clinging onto his legs, attempting to use Tamaki as a ladder to pull himself up. Tamaki tried to shake him off and kick his hands away from reaching farther up, but this man was one persistent bug.   
  
He pulled Tamaki down with him, grabbing onto the blazer he was wearing and yanking hard on the fabric. Tamaki's grip on the window ledge was ripped away, and Haruhi lunged out last moment, grabbing onto his hands. The two of them dangled in the air, and from what Haruhi could see, their captor was still trying to pull Tamaki down with him. Haruhi could feel his fingers slipping out from hers. She could feel her hands growing clammier as she struggled to hold on. She was begging with her eyes for Tamaki to make a move to tighten his grip on her hands, but she could see that his muscles were growing tired of holding up his body weight as well as the giant that clung onto him. "Tamaki, please...try and pull yourself up!" Tamaki struggled, trying to fling the man off of him, who was clinging on tightly.  
  
The grip Haruhi had on him became weaker and weaker as the sweat on their hands made them slippery. His grip finally slipped from hers, sending him and their captor, falling to their death.   
  
"Tamaki!" She stared, helpless as she saw her friend fell to his death. Their eyes met again for the briefest of moments. He did not look afraid, or mad that she had failed in pulling him to safety. He merely looked sad. Haruhi turned away at the last minute, afraid to see the bodies hit the concrete down below. She closed her eyes as she fought her inner voice to look out the window and see. Only after she heard a collective, far away thumping sound was she able to gather up enough courage to finally look.   
  
Haruhi felt her heart stop and her lungs freeze as she glanced down. She gagged at the sight below, her stomach rolling unpleasantly. For someone she had considered to be such an annoying person, at the sight of seeing his crumpled body, Haruhi felt as though someone had just ripped out her heart and lungs and stomped on them. She couldn't breathe, her lungs felt as though they had shriveled up into nothing.   
  
Tamaki Suoh was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that this was okay. I'm not the best at writing action. So, please, if you like, give some critique, as long as it is constructive.


	12. Chapter Eleven: What Happened, Happened

**Chapter Eleven: What Happened, Happened**  
  
_**Now**_  
  
Haruhi hadn't seen Karou or Kyoya since they'd been admitted into the hospital. She'd spent most of her time with Mori and Honey, who were both equally unsure about how to feel after the events that had transpired. Despite being out of danger, Haruhi's nerves still felt electric and she assumed Mori and Honey felt similar. Yet, despite spending most of the day together, the trio rarely talked to one another; each of them had their own thoughts to get lost in. While Haruhi stared out the window of the room and Honey played with a new bunny that his cousin Satoshi had given him, Mori broke the silence with three words.   
  
"Thank you, Haruhi." Honey looked up from the stuffed animal and nodded in agreement, as his signature sweet smile crawled onto his face. "  
  
Yes, thank you, Haru-chan! I don't think we said that yet, huh, Takashi?" Mori nodded in affirmation while Haruhi stared at them in confusion.   
  
"For what?"   
  
"You saved us Haru-chan," Honey exclaimed. His voice seemed so bright and cheery even though Haruhi could see that his eyes were still puffy and red-rimmed from crying. Haruhi felt herself blush at his words. Saved them she had...but not all of them. It was a bittersweet ending, but perhaps more bitter than sweet. Or maybe just sour, since the whole ordeal had left a sour, acrid taste in her mouth. She found her mind drifting back to Tamaki's last moments and each time it replayed it never lessened the sound of bones crunching as they hit cement. She missed that lovable, blond idiot. His sweet smile, his voice. She hoped she wouldn't forget what he sounded like too soon, or forget how he smelled. She didn't want to forget him at all. She stood up quickly. She needed to do something to avert the dark path her thoughts were headed down.   
  
"I'm going to see if Kyoya will talk to me. His sister has kept telling me he wants to be alone." She had to find something to do with her time. She refused to just sit and wallow, she didn't want grief to consume her; it could be a vicious monster and she didn't need to succumb to depression.   
  
"Tell him I'm sorry."   
  
"Sorry for what, Mori?" she asked. She sat back down onto the edge of the bed and grasped her friend's large hand. "What do you have to be sorry for?" Mori kept his gaze averted.   
  
"They wanted to take Mitskuni. I protected him but not Kyoya. So they took him instead." Haruhi felt an icy shiver on her insides as her brain processed Mori's words. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but her assumption of what could have happened to Kyoya made her blood run cold. She really hoped that her assumption was just that, an assumption.   
  


* * *

There was no sign of Fuyumi anywhere in sight to shoo her away and the door to Kyoya's room was open. So perhaps he'd be open to having some visitors. She poked her head inside the room and squinted at the low-level lighting. Kyoya sat in the hospital bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling. "Hey." She wasn't sure what else she could say in greeting. There was a moment of silence as his gaze shifted towards the door and he stared at her. "…Hey." She edged herself farther into the room but remained by the door in case he decided to kick her out.   
  
"Do you mind if I come in?" Kyoya stared at her for a moment longer before sluggishly shrugging.   
  
"I don't really care." She'd take that as a yes then. She entered the room and wrapped her arms around Kyoya without permission and pulled him close. She was so glad to see that he was okay, more or less. If her mind was an utter mess after witnessing what happened to Tamaki, she could only wonder what was going on in Kyoya's mind knowing that his best friend was dead. "Please don't touch me," he said. His voice was soft but it held a seriousness in it that Haruhi couldn't ignore. She pulled away as though she had been stung and immediately muttered an apology.  
  
"I'm sorry. Are you in pain?" she asked. In her happiness at seeing her friend in one piece, she hadn't taken into account that he might be suffering from injuries, whether visible or not.   
  
"No, not anymore at least."  
  
"What happened Kyoya?" she asked. She didn't want to be pushy, she hated being pushy but Kyoya was a tight-lipped individual at the best of times. "Why don't you want to see any of us?" There was brief silence between the two. Haruhi held her breath, hoping for an answer. Kyoya sighed heavily, shakily. He turned toward her and his eyes met hers and the two of them stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity. Although he had not given a reply to her question, his voice wasn't needed. His eyes said it all. The longer Haruhi stared into his dark eyes, the more pain she could see. Mixed in with the pain, there was shame, humiliation. It ran deep, she wondered how he managed to contain it within himself. If she were in his position, she would have positively dissolved into a puddle of tears by now. Wanting to comfort him, she reached for his hand, which he quickly withdrew before she could touch him.   
  
"What happened, happened. It can't be changed." He averted his gaze from hers, cutting her off from seeing the vast expanse of his pain. His voice was cold. Haruhi drew away slightly, unsure of what to think. Were her assumptions correct? What she believed happened to Kyoya actually had happened to him?   
  
"Please, don't shut me out," she said, almost begging. "Mori, Honey, me, Karou, we all have to support one another. Don't feel ashamed for what happened, it wasn't your fault."   
  
"It doesn't matter who's at fault," he growled, his hands clenched into fists. "I just want to be alone with my thoughts right now. Can't you understand that, Haruhi? I know you're not thick-skulled like some people…" His words trailed off and a hand clenched into a fist and he pressed it against his mouth. He stared straight ahead and Haruhi could see tears in his eyes.   
  
"Please leave," he said, his voice thick with tears. His breathing had become uneasy, and she now saw tears that tears had started to race down his cheeks. Haruhi felt an invisible hand clench tightly around her heart as she watched her friend, who was normally so controlled and composed, dissolve into utter heartbreak. Seeing that she hadn't moved, Kyoya repeated his words, yelling them this time. She muttered an apology and raced out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her.

* * *

Haruhi returned to Mori's room, suddenly feeling drained of any energy she had had. Honey was still there, seated on the edge of the bed while Mori had moved into the stiff-backed armchair that sat next to the bed, his leg propped up upon another chair on a mountain of pillows.   
  
"Did you see him?" Mori asked. Stiffly, Haruhi nodded and recited what had transpired between her and Kyoya. When she had finished talking, she saw Mori's hands turn to fists as he clenched at the bedsheets in anger. Or guilt?   
  
"Mori, it's not your fault. You didn't know they were going to do that to him." The tall young man shook his head in denial.   
  
"I knew what they wanted when they attempted to take Mitskuni. He's small, he's vulnerable looking. Any creep would think he's easy pickings." Haruhi couldn't remember the last time Mori had said so much in one go. But he made a point. If she were in his position, she would have probably made the same assumption. All these assumptions and no conclusions. She wished that more definite, pleasant things would happen to them. They'd dealt with so much bad within the last week or so, she wished that something good would happen to them. They deserved as much, right?   
  
The remainder of her time with Mori and Honey was rather silent. Her father had called to see how she was fairing and if she'd be coming home anytime soon. Haruhi frowned upon seeing the time on her phone; that couldn't have possibly been the correct time. She'd been at the hospital for about eight hours in just one day, and yet, the entire day seemed to have blinked away in a matter of seconds. She needed to get her head on straight or perhaps sleep off some of the shock that she still felt. They had just finished dinner and a nurse had come to tell her and Honey that visiting hours would end soon. Honey pouted and complained about how he wanted to stay with Mori, while Haruhi tried to comfort him that they would see their tall, silent friend tomorrow. She was just about ready to leave with Honey in tow when she heard a subtle, quiet knock at the door drew their attention. At the door stood Kyoya, who seemed rather unsure about his sudden presence in the room.   
  
"Kyoya!" Honey cried as he jumped off the bed in excitement. Haruhi placed a hand on Honey's shoulder to keep him from jumping up to hug Kyoya. Honey pouted but complied and sat back down on Mori's bed. The three of them stared at Kyoya for a moment, who stood awkwardly in the threshold of the door, still dressed in a hospital gown and surgical pants.   
  
"Are you okay?" Mori asked. His dark eyes held genuine concern and sparkled with unshed tears. Haruhi wondered how this was affecting him. He'd been shot in the knee and he had a guilty conscience about what had happened with his friend. Kyoya pushed his glasses up a bit farther on his nose and gave one stern nod.  
  
"Karou will need us," he muttered as he redirected his attention to the three of them. He gave Haruhi a knowing sideglance. "We do need to stick together after all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm hoping to wrap this up soon. It's been going on a long while. I'm going to try and keep this at fifteen chapters. Hoping to update sometime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Just an FYI that this is also cross-posted on FF.net. I decided to post this on here since I'm not too active on that site all that much anymore. Hope you enjoyed this! Feedback is strongly appreciated!


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